A PRIVATE, clever, good-humoured man was remembered by friends and neighbours on Thursday following the shock unexplained death of elderly The Rock resident, Rodney Willis.
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On Wednesday, about 11.30am, the 74-year-old was found in cardiac arrest and was unable to be revived by emergency service personnel who spent 45 minutes trying to resuscitate him.
A foundation member of The Rock and District Men's Shed, Mr Willis was a church organist, volunteer with Meals on Wheels, and an active member of the Emily Centre Friendship Group.
"He was a gentle man - his first love was gardening, he used to write poetry and he was an avid reader who loved the old movies," The Rock and District Men's Shed secretary, Kevin Verdon, said.
On Wednesday, a memorial will be held at The Rock and District Men's Shed, starting at just after midday.
Unmarried, Mr Willis held photography and gardening among his passions, with fellow Meals on Wheels volunteer Isabel Seberry describing the elderly man as sweet and reliable.
"We'll miss him terribly," Ms Seberry said.
"He was at the Emily Centre on Tuesday night, and regularly comes here twice a week to visit and chat."
On Thursday, a Wagga LAC forensic team continued to carry out their investigation to help determine Mr Willis' cause of death ahead of a brief being prepared for the coroner.